# British usage question: "saloon" as a type of car **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 20, 2007, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-usage-question-saloon-as-a-type-of-car/396791 "2007-03-20T23:21:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-usage-question-saloon-as-a-type-of-car/396791/1 "2007-03-20T23:21:32Z")
I’ve been running into the word “saloon” in British contexts, and while I’ve managed to figure out that it’s a kind of car, I haven’t been able to figure out what kind of car. The America-wide web is not being helpful. Anyone care to help me out? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-usage-question-saloon-as-a-type-of-car/396791/2 "2007-03-20T23:22:45Z")
No British, but two of my cars are. A ‘saloon’ is a sedan. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-usage-question-saloon-as-a-type-of-car/396791/3 "2007-03-20T23:24:02Z")
Here’s a [link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedan) > [@](#): > > A sedan car, American English terminology (saloon in British English), is one of the most common body styles of the modern automobile. At its most basic, the sedan is a passenger car with two rows of seats and adequate passenger space in the rear compartment for adult passengers. The vehicle has a separate trunk (boot in British English), for luggage at the rear. ---
**Author:** ![Sonia\_Montdore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Sonia\_Montdore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonia_Montdore)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2007, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-usage-question-saloon-as-a-type-of-car/396791/4 "2007-03-21T01:17:19Z")
Were you hoping it came equipped a fully stocked bar? ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2007, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-usage-question-saloon-as-a-type-of-car/396791/5 "2007-03-21T12:39:53Z")
What **Johnny LA** said. It’s a car with a boot, as opposed to an _estate_ car, which I suppose translates to stationwagon, or a four-by-four (SUV). ---
**Author:** ![MarcusF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@MarcusF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarcusF)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2007, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-usage-question-saloon-as-a-type-of-car/396791/6 "2007-03-21T13:05:14Z")
It should also be distinguished from a _hatchback_ (which I think is the same on both sides of the pond 😃 ). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2007, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-usage-question-saloon-as-a-type-of-car/396791/7 "2007-03-21T13:52:10Z")
[QUOTE=Sonia Montdore] Were you hoping it came equipped a fully stocked bar? [/QUOTE] I was hoping it had those swinging doors. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2007, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-usage-question-saloon-as-a-type-of-car/396791/8 "2007-03-21T14:32:15Z")
“In my old, red saloon I’m a knight in shining armour If i were asleep, man I couldn’t be much calmer” -Nik Kershaw, “Don Quixote” ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2007, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-usage-question-saloon-as-a-type-of-car/396791/9 "2007-03-21T14:55:48Z")
“coupe” appears on both sides of the pond, though. Although I believe it’s more likely to be spelled with an accent over the e in the UK, and be pronounced “koo-pay” instead of “koop”. “cabriolet” = “convertible”. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2007, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-usage-question-saloon-as-a-type-of-car/396791/10 "2007-03-21T17:55:15Z")
I would have thought that the “bar/pub” == saloon predates “car design” == saloon. How did that word come to be associated with a motor vehicle?